The present invention relates to an aircraft equipped with a device for accessing a compartment from the ground.
In order to perform maintenance operations, pieces of equipment installed in certain compartments of an aircraft are accessible from the ground, via an opening provided in the fuselage of the aircraft, using a rigid ladder.
During use, the lower ends of the sides of the ladder rest on the ground, whereas the upper portions of the sides bear against an edge of the opening.
Due to the fact that the mass of the aircraft varies, inter alia, depending on the load thereof, the distance separating the edge of the opening and the ground varies between a maximum height and a minimum height. Consequently, in order to access the equipment under any circumstance, the ladder must have a length greater than the maximum distance so that the ladder rests on the ground and bears against the edge of the opening.
Even if this is not always necessary, the ladder must have a length greater than the maximum distance separating the edge of the opening and the ground. The longer the ladder is, the greater is the mass thereof, which is counteractive to the objectives of an aircraft designer, who will tend to reduce the mass on board the aircraft.
In the case of a loaded aircraft, the portion of the ladder inside the fuselage is too long and makes it difficult to access the equipment.
In accordance with another aspect, the use of the ladder is not completely secured insofar as the ladder could slide, the upper portions of the sides of the ladder being simply placed against the edge of the opening. It is not possible to attach the ladder to the aircraft due to the fact that the height of the edge varies, unless providing a telescopic ladder, which tends to significantly increase the mass of the ladder.